Boy, 6, remains hospitalized after mauling

Pit bull owner says he is unsure why his dogs attacked

An East Garfield Park boy remained hospitalized Saturday after undergoing plastic surgery, while his family tried to understand why a neighbor's dogs attacked the 6-year-old.

Trayshawn Toliver's family found it hard to believe the pit bulls could have inflicted such harm.

"These dogs see him every day," said Trayshawn's sister, Erica. "He doesn't play with the dogs. I don't understand how it happened."

Two of the dogs were shot and killed by police and a third is being held by animal control.

The incident began Friday night, when Trayshawn was retrieving a ball that had gone across a fence into a neighbor's yard in the 500 block of North Lawndale Avenue. The boy gained access to the yard because the fence had been partially knocked down after a recent storm, said Trayshawn's brother, Victor, 19.

That's when the dogs attacked. Officers on patrol in the area were flagged down about 7:45 p.m. and tried to ward off the dogs.

The officers tried to lift Trayshawn over the chain-link fence, "but the dogs were relentless in their grip of the young victim," said Chicago Police Officer John Mirabelli.

Officers used pepper spray before they shot and killed two of the dogs, police said.

The third dog ran away but was captured and is with Animal Care and Control.

"They tried every available measure prior to discharging their weapons," Mirabelli said.

But by then, the damage had been done. Trayshawn was taken in serious condition to Mt. Sinai Hospital. Doctors performed plastic surgery Friday night on both of his legs, which had been mauled from his thighs to his feet and had one gash so deep it exposed muscle tissue, Erica Toliver said.

The dogs' owner, William Johnson, a carpenter, said Saturday he was at work at the time of the attack and didn't know exactly what had happened. Johnson, 32, said he was surprised the dogs mauled the boy.

"They were just puppies," he said. "They were not mean dogs. I'm not sure what provoked it.

"I'm very sorry this happened. I can always get another dog. But a kid, you can't replace that."